Thursday, February 16, 2012

in an enlightened time

.The Palace of Versailles was the seat of French power at a time of intellectual enlightenment. There were chapels, gardens, great gilded halls, royal apartments and a capacity to shelter and entertain literally thousands of people. Today, people pay serious money for the furniture from the era of Louis XIV.

And yet, within those vast and opulent halls there was not a single toilet or any facility for going to the bathroom. People were forced to piss and shit and puke in the stairwells, which was one reason that extravagant amounts of perfume were employed.

So much for enlightenment.

Am I wrong or merely cynical in thinking that grand and sweeping accomplishments -- works of vast beauty and breath-taking vision -- frequently, if not always, leave a similar stench in their wake?
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My name is Adam Fisher. My Dharma name is Genkaku. I live in Northampton, Mass., U.S.A. This is my blog. It consists of almost-daily postings -- sometimes about the Zen Buddhism I have admired and practiced; sometimes about other 'spiritual' matters; and mostly about whatever strikes my fancy. Except to the extent that it might help others to consider what kind of fool they would prefer not to be, this blog does not aim to help anyone. Since we are all helping each other all the time, that would be fatuous. This blog is simply a testament to the fact that I have a long and as-yet unbroken habit of writing. I write so ... I write. Behind the house here, there is a small meditation hall, Black Moon Zendo, where the public is welcome to come and practice. I can be contacted at genkakukigen@aol.com